Poker
Feel free to skip this if you don't give a damn about poker, or if you don't want to hear me whine about bad beats. But dammit...three times tonight I flopped the nuts (the best possible hand) and lost to runner runner!
Hand 1: Party Poker 2/4 limit hold'em, 10 handed -- I have KJo in late position. An army of limpers to me. I limp. Flop comes AQT rainbow, I have the nut straight. Checked to me, I bet, three callers. Turn is a diamond. Checked to me, I bet. One guy calls, going all in, another checkraises me. I think about raising but decide to call and raise the river. River is a third diamond. Dude in early position bets, I raise, he calls. The all-in dude flips over K6 of diamonds for the runner runner flush. I lose $40 of the $60 pot.
Odds of that dude hitting that flush after the flop: 19:1 against.
Hand 2: Same table as hand one. I have JJ in early position and raise. One cold caller in LP and the blinds call. Flop comes J23 rainbow. I bet, LP raises, the small blind (SB) calls, big blind folds, I make it three bets, they all call. Turn is a 5. I bet, LP raises, SB calls, I make it three bets, LP calls all-in, SB calls. River is a 4. SB checks, and I check -- as anyone with an ace now has a straight to beat me, and the guy in the big blind was just the sort of guy to keep calling with just an ace. ...but I was wrong, he actually called all those bets with K6. (?!!?) He wins with the $60 pot with a 6 high straight.
Odds of that dude hitting his straight after the flop: around 150:1 against.
Hand 3: Different table, same game, same limit. I get QQ in middle position. The dude first to act (called under the gun, or UTG) calls. I raise. Two in late position cold call. The big blind (BB) calls. UTG calls. Flop comes down K4Q. Okay, I don't have the nuts -- but I'm only behind to KK, which is pretty unlikely since no one reraised me preflop. It's checked to me, I bet, a couple of guys fold, the guy on the button raises, UTG calls, I make it three bets, and we're three handed to the turn, which is another 4. I'm still only behind to KK. UTG checks, I bet, the other two call. The river is...another king. My full house is counterfeited, and anyone who has a LONE king now beats me. UTG checks, I check, Button bets, UTG calls, and I make a sanity call. UTG has A6s -- I don't know what he was thinking. Button has KT, and I lose another $60 pot.
Odds of the final dude hitting his full house: around 400:1 against.
And while I realize that I make money playing poker because others play so poorly, it can still be frustrating to lose such big pots to such incredibly long odds...on the other hand, you can't help but laugh. Anyhow, instead of ending the night ahead around $180, I finished the evening ahead...75 cents. Much like a crash landing, however, it's nice to walk away with 75 cents.
I'm gonna go buy me some gum.
Hand 1: Party Poker 2/4 limit hold'em, 10 handed -- I have KJo in late position. An army of limpers to me. I limp. Flop comes AQT rainbow, I have the nut straight. Checked to me, I bet, three callers. Turn is a diamond. Checked to me, I bet. One guy calls, going all in, another checkraises me. I think about raising but decide to call and raise the river. River is a third diamond. Dude in early position bets, I raise, he calls. The all-in dude flips over K6 of diamonds for the runner runner flush. I lose $40 of the $60 pot.
Odds of that dude hitting that flush after the flop: 19:1 against.
Hand 2: Same table as hand one. I have JJ in early position and raise. One cold caller in LP and the blinds call. Flop comes J23 rainbow. I bet, LP raises, the small blind (SB) calls, big blind folds, I make it three bets, they all call. Turn is a 5. I bet, LP raises, SB calls, I make it three bets, LP calls all-in, SB calls. River is a 4. SB checks, and I check -- as anyone with an ace now has a straight to beat me, and the guy in the big blind was just the sort of guy to keep calling with just an ace. ...but I was wrong, he actually called all those bets with K6. (?!!?) He wins with the $60 pot with a 6 high straight.
Odds of that dude hitting his straight after the flop: around 150:1 against.
Hand 3: Different table, same game, same limit. I get QQ in middle position. The dude first to act (called under the gun, or UTG) calls. I raise. Two in late position cold call. The big blind (BB) calls. UTG calls. Flop comes down K4Q. Okay, I don't have the nuts -- but I'm only behind to KK, which is pretty unlikely since no one reraised me preflop. It's checked to me, I bet, a couple of guys fold, the guy on the button raises, UTG calls, I make it three bets, and we're three handed to the turn, which is another 4. I'm still only behind to KK. UTG checks, I bet, the other two call. The river is...another king. My full house is counterfeited, and anyone who has a LONE king now beats me. UTG checks, I check, Button bets, UTG calls, and I make a sanity call. UTG has A6s -- I don't know what he was thinking. Button has KT, and I lose another $60 pot.
Odds of the final dude hitting his full house: around 400:1 against.
And while I realize that I make money playing poker because others play so poorly, it can still be frustrating to lose such big pots to such incredibly long odds...on the other hand, you can't help but laugh. Anyhow, instead of ending the night ahead around $180, I finished the evening ahead...75 cents. Much like a crash landing, however, it's nice to walk away with 75 cents.
I'm gonna go buy me some gum.